In this reading journal I will post the contents of and my thoughts on any books I read, regardless of whether or not I liked it or even finished it.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

BURN

TITLE:
BURN

AUTHOR:
JULIANNA BAGGOTT

Pages:
432

Date:
04/02/2014

Grade:
5

Details:
no. 3 Pure Trilogy

Received from Headline Publishing

Through Nudge

Own

First
things first. Before I say anything else I have to stress that this book should
not be read unless you’re familiar with the story up to now, as told in “Pure” and “Fuse”.

This
book seamlessly picks the story up where Fuse ended. Partridge has returned to
the Dome and has inherited his father’s position as leader now that Willox is
dead. But if Partridge thought that gaining power would bring him the
opportunity to put an end to the inequality between the Pure people inside the
dome and the Wretches outside, he is in for a shocking surprise. Established
powers have no intention of allowing him to change the status-quo and have the
means to keep him in check. As his feelings of powerlessness grow, so do
Partridge’s doubts about himself, his motives and what he might be able to
achieve. By the time he realises that his desire to avoid all bloodshed might
lead to nothing except more violence it may well be too late.

Meanwhile
Pressia, Bradwell, El Capitan and Helmut are in Ireland, in the care of a small
group of detonation survivors fighting their own battle to stay alive. When they
board their airship to travel back to America they’ll have acquired the means
to bring down the Dome. While Bradwell is pushing for their oppressors’
destruction, Pressia still holds on to the dream of getting the serum that
could form the basis for a cure for the Wretches to scientists inside the Dome.

As
violence erupts from the Dome, doubts about Partridge’s loyalty are raised. By
the time it becomes clear that the only way to bring down a world created
through an unspeakable act of destruction is to destroy its core, it may be too
late for all participants to survive or find the answers they were looking for.

Before
I get to the specifics of Burn I have to state that the ‘Pure’ trilogy is an
amazing piece of imagination and writing. It has to take its place among the
darkest works of fiction I have ever read, but it also stands out as one of the
most well written and thought-provoking trilogies I’ve come across.

Julianna
Baggott doesn’t look for easy answers, cosy endings or happily ever afters in these
books. This trilogy brings the reader to a post-apocalyptic world in all its
horrifying glory. And the final instalment, ‘Burn’ is, if possible, even darker
than its two prequels.

On
the surface this seems to be a story without hope. If you were to dig a little
bit deeper though you’d see that actually there is some light in this book. It
may not take the form of the exact happy ending you were hoping for, but it
does reaffirm your belief in values such as friendship, loyalty, family, love
and forgiveness. And that is where the strength of this book – this trilogy –
lies. Julianna Baggott has created a world where people do what they have to do
in order to survive. For some – the Pures - surviving depends on keeping their
privileged world well closed off from others at all costs. For those on the
outside, living in what are almost unliveable circumstances, it means there is
little or no room for compassion. And yet, neither environment has managed to
turn everybody who lives there into monsters. The power of this book lies in
the message that despite the circumstances they find themselves in, some people
will always try to do the right thing for the right reasons.

This
is not an easy book to read; in fact, I found it quite heartbreaking. It is
however a powerful story; one with a premise worth thinking about. This is a book
that will stay with the reader long after they finish reading.

Burn,
like its prequels, is a beautifully written yet very dark story about hope,
love and courage against the odds. I’m almost sorry I’ve reached the end of
this tale. I would love to know what happens next to Pressia in this world.
And, considering the way the story ends I guess it is not impossible that the
author will revisit this world and these characters at some point in the
future. If she does I will be among the first readers to revisit this
dust-filled world that has become almost real in my mind.

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About Me

My name is Marleen. I'm Dutch but have been living in Ireland for well over 15 years now. I have a passion and love for reading and books. Since early 2008 I have been lucky enough to have been working part time in the library in Bailieborough, Co. Cavan where among other things I run the library reading group.
I will read almost anything that has words in it, and post my thoughts on everything I read in this blog:

Review Disclaimer

In this blog I write my thoughts on every book I read. Some I will have brought home from the library, some will have been bought while others will have been sent to me for review. I do not get paid for reading and reviewing any books and all opinions are mine and mine alone. Whether a book was borrowed, bought or received will be indicated at the top of every review.

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